UN inter-agency special meeting of cluster on trade and productive capacity reviews progress

UNCTAD/PRESS/IN/Doha/2012/002Doha, Qatar, (21 April 2012)

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro and UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General Petko Draganov chaired on Saturday a Special Session of the Inter-Agency Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity attended by eleven agencies that are members of the Cluster: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Trade Centre (ITC), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Labour Office (ILO), the United Nations Economic Commissions for Africa (UNECA) and Europe (UNECE), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), and UNCTAD.

In addition, representatives of Switzerland, Nepal, Lesotho, and the Secretariat of the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Assistance to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) contributed to the debate.

Agency members of the Cluster affirmed their commitment to continuing strong support and cooperation with this dynamic inter-agency mechanism that facilitates the delivery of joint operations in an efficient and coherent manner.

The session was an occasion to take stock of the work carried out since 2008 when the Cluster was established and to provide agencies’ perspectives on the theme of the UNCTAD XIII. The meeting was also the occasion for announce an Aid for Trade Initiative of the Islamic Development Bank to be implemented by the some agencies of the Cluster.

Among major achievements of the Cluster, speakers mentioned:

• An increase in the Cluster’s interventions in the United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAF) as requested by national authorities and UN Resident Coordinators;.

• Improved policy coherence regarding supply-side needs in view of complementarities between the various mandates of the partner agencies; and

• Alignment of UN operations in national and regional development plans

The contribution of the Cluster to ensuring complementarities and coordinated approaches with the Aid for Trade Initiative and the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) -- in particular in the “One UN” pilot countries and in countries having adopted a “Delivering as One” approach was outlined. These two approaches are tools that can help build more inclusive and fair globalization that expands opportunities for all.

UN Deputy Secretary-General appealed to donors for greater coherence in the financing of UN operations -- in particular by increasing financing to multi-donor trust funds.